The Taipei Representative Office in the UK (TRO; Chinese: 駐英國台北代表處; pinyin: Zhù Yīngguó Táiběi Dàibiǎo Chù) is a liaison office of Taiwan in the United Kingdom. It is not a fully-fledged diplomatic mission owing to the ongoing Taiwan dispute and One-China policy. However, it is the highest-level representation of the Taiwan authority in the United Kingdom. It manages cultural, economic and political cooperation between the UK and Taiwan, as well as offering consular services.[1] Its counterpart body in Taiwan is the British Office Taipei.[2]
History
The Qing dynasty established an embassy to the UK, which was inherited by Republic of China. After the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949, for a short time the UK continued to recognise the government of Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China, before switching recognition to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1950.[1] Taiwan's office in London was first established in September 1963 as the Free Chinese Centre (自由中國中心).[3] In 1992, it adopted its present name.[4]